


Fate/Memory World : The Energy Within You

by Kumira



Series: Fate/Memory World [3]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fights, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Magic, Minor Character Death, Minor Character(s), Sexual Tension, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-11-01 14:50:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20816969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kumira/pseuds/Kumira
Summary: Malik and Bakura investigate a remote cemetery and discover an unusual concentration of magical energy. Something is going to happen here, and they don't intend to let their chance slide.It is also time for Ryou and Berserker to legitimate their place in the Holy Grail War ...“I suppose I do not need to introduce myself though, as I have heard you already know me quite well. Well enough to steal from me, at least.”





	1. The Cemetery

** _Each of us is born alone, within a deep forest_ **

** _We focus on the things most important to us,_ **

** _And begin walking to meet them._ **

[Tuesday]

“Well …” Bakura started, laying on Malik's bed like it was his, visibly bored. “I hope you don't intend to spend the whole day in the bathtub this time too.”

Malik frowned, glaring at his Servant from the couch. “I don't know what's stopping me from breaking this damned contract with you.”

Bakura smirked, taunting him. “You'd get bored. So, what's the program for today ?”

“I have news about Pegasus Crawford's plans for the war.” Malik answered, choosing to ignore Assassin's first comment. “Apparently, he changed which catalyst to use to summon his Servant. Moreover, some men working for him have been found lurking around a cemetery pretty far away from the downtown area. Obviously, they've been taken care of already.”

“So ?”

“_So_, we're going to investigate the place. I want to see it by myself and decide whether or not it would make a suitable battlefield.”

Bakura sat. The left sleeve of his red robe dropped from his shoulder and Malik caught himself staring for a bit longer than necessary.

“Good. I was feeling like going outside. Let's go.”

“Well, not right now. First, I need to take a shower.” the tomb-keeper said while getting up.

Bakura facepalmed and fell back down on the bed.

“You've got to be shitting me …”

* * *

“I'm surprised you decided to go on foot.” Bakura said. It had taken an hour for Malik to get ready and, to his surprise, his diva of a Master had not insisted on being transported directly to the scene. “Not that I mind.” he added.

“I have yet to know this city well enough, so I'd rather explore it myself. Some of our enemies have lived in Domino for a long time, which give them an advantage over us. I don't want to put my plan in danger because of this sort of technicality.” His gaze lowered to Bakura. “That being said,_ I_ am surprised you decided to join me in your physical form, moreover while wearing actual modern clothing.”

The Thief King crossed his arms, proud. He was wearing dark grey pants, a white tank top and a red jacket. “Yeah, they didn't see that one coming. I bet having all the advantages of an Assassin back in the days would have made me even more legendary ~”

Malik shook his head from side to side, holding back a smile.

“Well, as long as you don't get caught by anyone, I don't really care how you obtained these.”

After a while, they finally arrived at the cemetery. In one glance, it was painfully clear to see how nobody regularly appeared to visit it anymore.

“It's amazing how little the people of this era seem to care about their dead. Look at this.” Bakura said, shooting a pebble into a particularly badly maintained gravestone. “It looks so fragile and dirty that I wouldn't even be surprised if some people had taken the corpses out of their graves for whatever reason.”

“Funny, hearing that from a tomb robber.” Malik answered, raising an eyebrow.

“Hey, I only stole a corpse _once_. It's not like I risked my life for them. I just wanted the treasures of stuck-up nobles who clearly didn't need them anymore.” He laughed. “If they didn't want anyone to rob them, they should have prepared better traps and guards ~”

The Tomb-Keepers' chief sat down on an old wooden bench, his elbows on his knees. “I heard of that story.”

“Hmm ?”

“The story of how you stole the previous pharaoh's corpse and threw it at his son's feets. That's one of the only stories I could find about you. Tell me how it happened.”

Their gazes met and Assassin was surprised by his Master's seriousness.

“Why ? Are you upset ?”

Malik smiled to himself.

“Quite the opposite, actually. It was the first act of opposition against the pharaoh mentioned in my scriptures. It caught my attention pretty fast. Something … inspirational, sort of.” Malik paused when he realized the weight of his words. He hadn't meant to say something so revealing about himself. “... That's why I want to hear it from you.” he continued.

Bakura crossed his arms against his chest and looked away for a moment. He finally turned back toward the blond and shrugged, a smirk on his lips. “Well, it's not as if I could keep my adventures a secret from my very first fanboy, could I ?”

The Servant jumped on the bench, which swayed a bit, and sat on its backrest.

Bakura took a few seconds to remember the events correctly. They were close to the time he had been entirely under Zorc's influence, thus why he needed more time to put some order in his memories.

Finally, he began his tale. How he had infiltrated the tomb, the dangers lurking inside, what he had found and stolen, how he had made it back to the palace, Diabound's powers, how he had looked down on the pharaoh and his High Priests like the ignorant rats they were, how he had fought them all – to the point where the pharaoh had needed to call the Gods for help.

He didn't mention** it**, though. The reason why he had done all of this. Why he had become the man known as the Thief King of Ancient Egypt. The secret of the Millennium Items.

That particular tale … Malik didn't need to know about it. Bakura would never tell him. Not unless he felt like he should, which had no reason to happen.

“And that's how it happened.” he finished.

Malik closed his eyes. It lasted so long that Assassin was starting to wonder if he had fallen asleep. Before he could call for the tomb-keeper's attention, Malik reopened his eyes and smiled a bit, seemingly satisfied.

“I see. Well, let's get back to investigating.” he declared, getting up.

“The only thing I can tell you ...” Bakura answered, not bothering to get up yet. “… is that this place still reeks of mana. Someone might have tried to clean it up, but I can still feel it. I don't know who's responsible for it, but they're clearly a third-tier magus.”

Thanks to his training, Malik could also feel some traces of mana in the air, though far less strongly than his Servant.

_Some sort of ritual must have taken place here_, he thought.

The blond walked through the cemetery back and forth multiple times. As dirty as the place was, there at least wasn't any human trash laying around. Or so, that's what Malik believed before his eyes caught sight of a small piece of crumpled paper on the ground. It appeared to be stuck under an old root from a nearby tree, near some of the graves.

Strangely enough, the paper seemed way cleaner and recent than anything else here.

It may have seemed a bit ridiculous, yes, but there was nothing to lose by checking it out.

Malik leaned over to pick up the piece of paper. Something was written on it. His eyes widened when he realized what they meant.

…

A summoning chant. The words to summon a Servant in the Holy Grail War were written on this paper. More exactly, the words to summon a Berserker.

…

It felt like a really bad joke. Actually, it was probably a trap. There was no way a Master would not know the summoning chant by heart – and even if they didn't, they would still not throw their notes away. Was Pegasus trying to lure him into a trap ?

Malik stared at his surroundings. The place was isolated, quite large (whether inside or outside the cemetery) and adjacent to a forest, perfect to stay hidden.

“Found something ?” Bakura asked him, bored again.

The tomb-keeper nodded.

“Two participants in the War are going to battle each other soon in this area. I already have a few ideas in mind. I'll be counting on you to **not** get the same result as your last fight when I'll be needing you to intervene.”

“Oh, we are NOT discussing that again.” Bakura frowned.

* * *

[Friday]

It was one of those nights. One of the nights during which Ryou went to the cemetery to retrieve some … 'materials'. This night, however, was different.

Ryou didn't feel safe at all. Of course, Berserker never left him, but the perspective of a potential fight to the death was obviously a source of anguish for him. After all, the past few days had been strangely calm, as if there wasn't a war going on in the first place.  
As the days passed, the chances that other Servants had lost their lives were increasing and, with them, the dangers floating above Ryou's head were threatening to fall down. The less participants still around, the more likely it was for them to attempt to track down Berserker.

The white-haired boy started to walk the last road to the cemetery. Even without street lights, the moon shone bright enough to let him see rather well.

Ryou blinked. At first, he thought his eyes were playing a trick on him. As he got closer and closer to the nearest fence, a shadowy figure made itself clearer and clearer.

A chill ran down his spine, and he suddenly stopped walking. He swallowed nervously and clenched his fists, trying to appear as confident as possible.

“Berserker ...” the magus whispered.

A low and aggressive animalistic growl answered back to him.

So his Servant could feel it too …

…

That was it.

There wasn't any doubt left.

…

Ryou started walking again, slower.

He wasn't a good magus, true. However …

He glanced at the cemetery – the old cemetery he had spent so much time in. It was his domain. The land he had an advantage on. If this Master wanted to fight him, then Ryou would not let himself be taken down so easily.

He frowned at the shadow, who revealed itself to actually be two different shadows side by side. The Master and the Servant.

At the very least, they seemed confident enough to not attempt a sneak attack. Things could have gotten way more complicated otherwise.

Ryou stopped walking about ten meters away from them. He noticed from the corner of his eye that Berserker had taken a new shape, but didn't have the time to truly observe it.

His gaze met the other Master's. A man, a foreigner, with semi-long silver hair hiding his left eye. Of course, Ryou had already seen this man multiple times, despite never meeting him personally before.

At the man's right, a beautiful woman was standing still, smiling. Her long turquoise hair was falling all around her body, almost mixing with the shinny scales-looking patterns on her purple high-low dress.

“Bakura Ryou, am I correct ?” The man asked with a good-natured smile. “I suppose I do not need to introduce myself though, as I have heard you already know me quite well. Well enough to steal from me, at least.”

“... Pegasus J. Crawford.” Ryou finally let out. It had to happen sooner or later.

Pegasus shook his head calmly from side to side.

“Though I must admit, I didn't think you would be so young. I feel quite ashamed of my frail security system. To think that I would lose my very own catalyst ...” He glanced at Berserker – whose appearance reflected a smoky version of the enemy Servant –, his smile turning slightly contemptuous. “Well, whatever creature you brought back with the Orb of Black Illusion has nothing to do with the Servant I was hoping to summon, so there is nothing for me to fear.”

“But you came here to fight, right ?” Ryou cut to the chase. The fear he felt was now mixed with annoyance. If the increasing growls were anything to go by, Berserker was more than ready to start this battle to the death.

“... Indeed. As much as it pains me to do so, I have to witness with my own eyes that no participant to the Holy Grail War will get in the way of my wish.”

Pegasus turned to look at his Servant.

“Archer.” he said.

She nodded as a red bow appeared in her hands. Ryou stiffened.

“You can concentrate on the Servant. I'll deal with any potential threat coming from the kid.” the man added.

…

“Go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder that Ryou threw away his memo when he thought the ritual had failed. That's the piece of paper Malik found.
> 
> The Servant Pegasus originally planned to summon was Relinquished, thus the orb's name.


	2. Archer

“... Go.”  
  


As soon as the word left Pegasus' mouth, Archer jumped in the air and fired three arrows at Berserker. The Servant could have simply dodged the attacks, but it was standing so close to its Master that the arrows would have inevitably hurt him instead. In a growl, it copied Archer's offense and fired from its own imitated bow.

The fake arrows were shattered by the real ones. Obviously, a mere counterfeit was no match for the real weapon. Understanding this, the creature got rid of its imitation of Archer and transformed instead into some sort of giant. Archer fired again. And again. In a swift movement of its left foot, the giant smashed the concrete under them, grabbed a large piece of it, and threw it in front of him to stop the arrows.

Not intending to waste the opportunity given by Berserker, Ryou took some distance from the fight. It was frustrating, not being able to help much, but the Holy Grail War was about Servants fighting each others, not Masters fighting Servants. Pegasus didn't seem bothered by that fact and stood confidently where he was. It didn't seem like he intended to attack Ryou any time soon, but the boy was ready for any change of heart. He knew better than to trust his enemy.

“Oh my, how unrefined …” Archer sighed with a pitying smile as she stood on the cemetery's fence.

Berserker roared at her as it transformed into a beast, similar in shape to a mix of lion, wolf and bear. It proceeded to run straight at her, shifting its body back into purple smoke each time an arrow threatened to touch it.

When it blasted the fence off by charging blindly into it, Archer understood how Berserker proceeded. Somehow, that smoke-like appearance could get more or less dense at will, which allowed the creature to avoid being hit easily. Actually, she wasn't even sure he _could_ be hit at all. It certainly wasn't really strong or smart, but that Berserker would be difficult to eliminate without the use of her Noble Phantasm. She immediately conveyed this idea to Pegasus through their mental link.

However, at the same time, from Ryou's perspective of the situation … It felt like seeing a huge cat run after a laser pointer. No matter how much it tried, Berserker could never best Archer's agility. Its destructive power was for naught if he was unable to reach her. At the very least, now that the two Servants had gotten inside the cemetery, Ryou would be able to use his spells easier and quicker.

While still staying away from the fight, Pegasus got close enough for the novice magus to hear him.

“Archer, I authorize you to use your Noble Phantasm.”

Ryou's mind went blank for a second. The sounds of the battle couldn't even reach him anymore.

The Noble Phantasm. Every Servant's trump card. The final, most powerful move that was sure to reveal any Heroic Spirit's real identity, their True Name !

Ryou couldn't let that happen. He had to stop it. If Pegasus wanted to use it out of the blue, it meant he had understood something dangerous for Berserker.

Getting blood on his hands was not something he desired but … he had decided to fight.

Ryou walked in the middle of the graves and spread his arms wide open. He muttered spells and curses under his breath before extending his arms in Pegasus' direction. At that moment, hundreds of sharp bones rose up from below the ground and were thrown at the other magus at high speed.

The older magus laughed softly at the attempt and stopped the bones mid-air in one movement of the back of his hand.

“Well tried, but you will have to put a bit more efforts in your next attack.” Pegasus said, bending his index and middle finger toward Ryou, sending the bones flying back at him.

The boy took a small knife out of his coat as fast as possible and used it to create a wound on his forearm. While making sure the trickle was still linked to his veins, he manipulated the blood out of his body and made it denser, using it like a whip to deflect the bones away from him. It was an old trick.

Not wasting a moment despite his fail attempt at harming his adversary, Ryou began casting another spell. Pegasus didn't look worried at all and wasn't even _trying_ to stop him. But as words pronounced by Archer reached his ears from farther away, he understood why.

**From the South to the North**

**From sea witches to fairy tales …**

Archer had started chanting the words to cast her Noble Phantasm. Berserker still hadn't managed to stop her.

**A scream of agony**

**The red archery girl's victim …**

As she spoke, she rose the arm holding her bow and a blue light appeared progressively around her.

The shock finally passed, and Ryou knew he had to hurry. Skeleton soldiers were coming out of the ground on his order, but not quickly enough.

**A fortress and a prison …**

The light started to form the image of a shell above her bow. It became larger and larger until it seemed like it could fit multiple people inside.

_Faster ! Faster !!!_ Ryou thought desperately. The soldiers had completely emerged.

**[The Little Mermaid's Trap] !**

Archer readied her bow and fired the – now perfectly material and solid – shell at Berserker as she shouted the name of her Noble Phantasm.

Before it could react and dodge it, Berserker was swallowed by the giant shell. At first, the open shell had struck it at full speed, but as the creature was thrownin the air, the shell hadn't stopped its course and had closed itself on the Servant, trapping it inside.

Ryou let out a scream, breaking his concentration enough for the skeletons to stop moving.

[The Little Mermaid's Trap] … Archer's Noble Phantasm had successfully landed on Ryou's Servant. Was there even something he could still do ? The link between him and Berserker's hadn't disappeared … It had to mean his companion was still alive, right ? If that was the case …

The young magus did his best to concentrate again, and his soldiers were now running toward Pegasus.

“A futile attempt once more.” The man declared, ready to break them all into pieces. “For I have already wo-”

His sentence was abruptly put to an end by a sound, discreet enough to understand someone had tried to conceal it, but also loud enough for Ryou to recognize immediately was it was.

… A gunshot.

Pegasus fell on the ground under the horrified gazes of both Archer and Ryou. Blood started flowing out of the hole in the man's forehead.

Pegasus J. Crawford … The chief of the Crawford family … had just been killed ? And not by Ryou himself ?

Finding her voice quicker than the white-haired boy, Archer rushed to her Master's side.

“No, no, NO !” she panicked. “It can't be happening ! I had-- !” her sentence ended in a strangled breath. Spasms started to shake her body as the large hand of a half-snake half-giant white creature had gone through her body like a knife in some butter.

Archer's eyes quickly filled with rage, her face contorted in both hatred and pain.

w

“You bastard--!” she managed to spit at the man that had appeared in front of her, a conceited smile on his face. Despite her best efforts to try and move away, the woman's injuries were too severe for her [Independent Action] to keep her alive without a Master supplying more mana.

Archer's body disappeared in small particles of golden light.

Strangely enough, the white creature disappeared too. Its disappearance had however a different meaning, as it didn't scatter into golden dust. With it out of the way, Ryou got a better view of whom Archer's murderer was.

The newcomer had a dark skin similar to Aigami's, a long red robe and white hair. This hair … Ryou had seen it a lot since he was little. It looked the same as his, if not shorter. However, unlike Ryou, that man wasn't a magus. The aura emanating from him was one of a Servant.

Two other men – who were clearly not Japanese either – came out of the trees adjacent to the cemetery. Had they been observing the battle since the very beginning ?

“Well done, you two. Everything proceeded as planned.” the blond one told the Servant and the tallest one.

“So, what are we doing of Berserker's ex-Master ? It wouldn't take me more than two seconds to get rid of him.”

The blond one – the chief, and probably the Master too – nodded and Ryou froze once more that night.

“It would be more careful to do so, yes. Go for it, Assassin.”

“_Eat ...”_

“_Eat eat eat eat eat”_ Berserker repeated into Ryou's mind in yet another voice. _“So hungry …”_

Ryou looked around him, trying to detect his Servant. While he hadn't been sure whether or not Pegasus had planned to let him live, it was clear as day that these people had no intention to keep him alive.

Purple fog started to gather in the air. Nevertheless, the energy coming out of it was so weak that it couldn't quite take a physical form anymore. Berserker needed more mana than his Master was able to give him at the moment. His last spell, that had went completely forgotten due to the shock of both Pegasus and his Servant being killed off so suddenly, had tired him so much it would take days for him to function normally again.

Assassin noticed Berserker and frowned.

“_The Servant is still alive.”_ he warned his Master through their mind link. _“I'll take him out right now.”_

Small blades appeared between each of his fingers as he started walking toward his target. Berserker imitated him and began floating closer … before stopping suddenly. Everyone had expected the creature to jump straight into battle, but … Berserker's attention had shifted onto something else entirely. Something behind Assassin. Something the enemy Master was holding in his hand. Something powerful … something … _tasty_ … 

With a speed that surprised everyone, Berserker flew quickly past Assassin. The tallest of the two men tried to block the Servant's path but only succeeded in being knocked back against a tree as a result.

“Rishid !!” the blond cried out, shocked by the outcome of the situation that had gone completely out of hand in mere seconds.

Before he could even attempt to cast a spell, the magus sensed Berserker's power all around him, trapping him inside his smoke like a toxic cocoon. Soon, the smoke infiltrated every pore of his skin, and it felt like the creature was attempting to … _assimilate_ him ?

Panic rose inside him at the realisation. He couldn't see or hear anything anymore. If this were to continue, he would die.

“Fuck-- MALIK !”

As soon as the initial shock had passed, Assassin ran back to his Master and felt something snap inside him. The link that connected him to Malik, the link that had been supplying mana until now … had just been broken. This alarming truth was further confirmed when he realized his [Independent Action] had activated itself, providing him with one last battery of mana. If it were to run out before he could find a solution …

The white-haired Servant's eyes widened.

Malik wasn't dead. He couldn't be. Berserker had not attacked Pegasus during his fight with Archer, which meant it had found something different about his Master.

He needed to act as fast as possible. He didn't know if Berserker also possessed something similar to his [Independent Action], and Assassin didn't have the time to kill the helpless novice magus to make sure of it. He couldn't directly harm the Servant either as he risked to kill his Master in the process. It's not like its current form allowed it to be wounded by physical weapons anyway.

Berserker had been severely wounded during its fight against Archer. It needed mana too. Malik was less reliable mana-wise than himself, and therefore …

Assassin's gaze fell on the familiar item that Malik still held firmly in his hand, and discovered that the smoke was far denser around it. The Millennium Rod. Of course. This Berserker was clearly an Anti-Heroic Spirit and the power contained within the Rod was probably more than compatible with the energy it needed.

“DIABOUND !” he yelled.

The _ka_ appeared for the second time that night and projected its snake head through the smoke cocoon, knocking the Millennium Rod out of Malik's hand violently. That was going to hurt later but damn, that blond bastard had better be grateful to Assassin anyway.

The Millennium Item was sent flying a little farther away and Assassin tried not to think – with little success – of what (or who) he had just threw away.

His plan had apparently worked, as Berserker seemed bothered enough to tear itself away from his Master and chase after the Rod instead.

Assassin caught him before Malik could hit the ground. He let out a sigh of relief when he felt the blond's pulsating neck under his fingers. He was alive. He truly was alive. The Servant held the unconscious body against him with one arm and redirected his attention to the enemy. But the sight in front of him was not what he had expected to witness.

Berserker … had taken the appearance of Malik. Unlike before, it wasn't just a body made of smoke, but an actual human body. The only distinctive signs between the two were a golden eye drawn on Berserker's forehead, and his hairstyle that looked like a lion's mane.

He had had time to assimilate quite a bit of Malik, in the end.

Berserker stretched his neck left and right and flexed his fists multiple times, obviously not used to having such joints anymore. He bent down and took the Millennium Rod off the ground.

“You bastard …” Assassin spit, only realizing after doing so that he had just copied Archer's last words. He stopped himself from sending Diabound after Berserker, understanding that he was in no state to fight the enemy Servant. His [Independent Action] wouldn't allow him to fight at full force. They had to retreat immediately.

“I won't forget this, believe me.”

Taking advantage of Berserker's apparent momentary daze, Assassin picked Rishid up with his other arm and jumped on Diabound's hands, as the giant turned invisible and used its wings to fly away from the scene.

Obviously, Ryou had witnessed the whole incident. With such shaky legs, he had been incapable of standing still and had no other choice instead but to sit on the ground, staring helplessly at what was happening. It took him some time to understand what Berserker had been doing to the enemy Master, but when he had felt his Servant getting stronger again, he hadn't had the heart to step in. Oh, how he had been lucky Assassin hadn't attempted to kill him after all … Because Berserker had clearly been too occupied with its feast of mana to care about what was happening elsewhere, and there was **no way** Ryou could win a fight against a Servant.

As Ryou stared at Berserker's new body, a doubt ran past him. Was this truly Berserker ? Could he still trust it ?

The Servant took his time to walk back to him. With an expressionless face that Ryou wasn't sure how to interpret, he extended the hand that wasn't holding the Rod toward him.

“The battle is over, Master.” he constated simply, in a voice Ryou had never heard before that night. In a voice that, somehow, seemed similar yet different to Assassin's Master.

Ryou took his hand. It was warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well ... That happened. °u° It's one of the chapters I was the most excited to post !
> 
> For those of you who may not have quite caught that, Archer is based on the Red Archery Girl card and is — in this story — a hero meant to represent "the legends about mermaids". For this reason, the line "From the South to the North" is actually an allusion to the fact that mermaids (originally 'sirens') in Greek myths [the South] were half-bird and half-women, while recent (and far less recent) tales picture them as half-fish beings (such as Andersen's 'The Little Mermaid'). That way, the legend of mermaids is actually multiple legends and tales put together to make something bigger.
> 
> Also yes, Berserker is now Yami Malik. Your suspicions are correct.


	3. Mana Transfer

[Wednesday]

It had taken eleven hours for Malik to regain consciousness. His body felt heavy, drained. He had difficulties remembering recent events. Instead, his mind was filled with distant memories from the past.

Pain.

Isolation.

Darkness.

A knife on his back, manipulative adults, Gods he didn't believe in.

Loss.

Sadness.

Rancor.

Deep scars, empty words, cursed scriptures.

Loneliness.

Longing.

**Help**

“Well, It seems you're awake.”

A familiar voice cut him out of his train of thoughts. Before he could check to see who it was, a blinding light invaded the room. The person had just pulled the curtains and, at that moment, Malik finally noticed he had been in complete darkness, which was unlike his habit of always keeping some lights on.

Ah … What was that person's name again ?

…

Yes, Bakura. Assassin. His Servant in the current Holy Grail War. They had just eliminated Pegasus and Archer when Berserker attacked him and …

Malik brushed his fingers against his throat, the feeling of being asphyxiated still fresh in his mind.

“You must be feeling like crap right now. That's not surprising.”

Bakura wasn't wrong. Malik felt terrible in more way than one. The more he remembered what had transpired the previous night, the more he felt 'like crap'. He had been overconfident. Rishid had been hurt because of his negligence. How was he ? Was his brother even alive ? He scratched the thought. Was his _subordinate _even alive ?

The feeling of something forcing its way into his mind, into his body, into his _magic circuits_ … He shivered. What a fool. He had almost died, just like his father. He had first stepped into the War as if he had already won it, but he only realized now how fallible he truly was, how he COULD in fact **die**.

Malik felt like fainting again, as if aspirated by a whirlwind of dark thoughts.

Bakura clicked his tongue, clearly irritated.

“If you want to go back to sleep, do it already ! I can almost hear your annoying mopping from over here. You'd better rest, 'cause there'll be a lot to unpack once you'll wake up again.”

Malik closed his eyes.

Resting … Yes, he needed to produce some magical energy back. If they were attacked again soon and he wasn't in a better state, they would be in big trouble.

Before he drifted back to sleep, he heard his Servant add one last thing.

“... He's alright.”

A huge weight disappeared from the tomb-keeper's heart.

* * *

_It's nice and all_, Bakura thought, _but I also need to get my energy back somehow. _

It was true that his [Independent Action] was keeping him 'alive' for now, but he didn't have more than three days before him – and even less if a conflict were to arise before the link between them was made anew.

How annoying.

The quickest way to transfer mana was by exchanging bodily fluids, typically blood. However, given the blond's state, Bakura highly doubted sucking one or two litters of blood off his body would help him recover. Actually, there was a big chance it would even kill him.

Well, that sucked.

It was not like blood was the only bodily fluid existing, though. As much as he would have liked to stick his tongue in Malik's mouth to recreate their bond through saliva, that wasn't such a good plan either. First of all, the quantity of saliva needed would be way too important to not make things awkward. Second, Malik would probably just spit in a glass and have him drink it, which was definitely an undesirable outcome as well. No, Bakura had a preference for a much more exciting type of mana transfer.

He licked his lips.

And if_ that_ didn't work well either, he would just need to pump the energy he needed out of random people on the streets. It wasn't his favorite method, but if it was needed for him to get his hands on the Grail, a few sacrifices were tolerable.

That being decided, Assassin would need to make some … researches about this era's technology. The Grail provided him with the essential, but that was mostly it. No details on modern mana transfer.

_Oh well._

* * *

It took only three hours for Malik to awaken again. He felt more energized than earlier and was actually capable of sitting, speaking, and eating some food made by his fellow tomb-keepers.

Bakura hadn't manifested this time and Malik was started to get really concerned – not_ worried_, concerned – when he couldn't reach him through their mind-link. Actually, he couldn't even _feel _him anymore, as if his Servant had disappeared completely.

He hadn't paid enough attention earlier to notice whether or not the link had been present, but if that were the case, it would mean that something had happened to Bakura during his sleep. Malik checked out his Command Spells for the thirty-seventh time. All three of them were still present on the back of his hand. They would have disappeared with Bakura. Malik was probably still too overwhelmed by Berserker's partial assimilation to regain complete control of his senses, that was all.

The chief of the tomb-keepers took advantage of his free time to visit Rishid. His brother's shoulder had broken when Berserker had thrown him against a tree trunk. Nevertheless, he had been lucky nothing worse or irremediable had happened to him. If it had been his head, for example … Malik shivered. It was better not to think about it.  
They barely exchanged a few words. The blond didn't know what he was _supposed_ to say. All he could do was swallowing his guilt and trying to forget.

'I'm sorry' he almost whispered. And for once, he would have meant it.

Malik wandered around the manor for a while. To his displeasure, there seemed to be nothing of significance in this place. It merely left him with the choice to rest, work on a tactic to defeat Berserker, or attempt to completely reconnect with his magic circuits. Except that resting was already boring him, and he needed Bakura's briefing to plan anything against Berserker anyway (also, he _really_ didn't want to see Berserker again so soon). Which meant he actually only had one option : working on his magic circuits. In a hot bath, obviously.

He stepped in the bathroom and realized he still hadn't cleaned up from the previous day. Now would be a good time to remedy this.

Malik got in the tub and grabbed the bottle of soap, pouring some of it into his hand. Starting with his arms, he gently traced his skin with the soap. With every movement, he was careful to activate the magic circuits below his fingertips. Progressively, he felt the mana flow through his body. Light blue lines started to appear on his skin as Malik used his energy to manipulate the water around him. Soon enough, a small water elemental was floating above the ground in front of him.

He hated to admit it, but Bakura was right. They _did_ look like some sort of ghost slime.

…

Bakura … He still couldn't sense him. But he _had_ to be somewhere, right ?

It wasn't like Malik was worried or anything, but he couldn't stop thinking about last night. If Rishid had been unable to move while Malik was unconscious, it meant that Bakura had been the one saving them. It was true that the Tomb-Keepers' chief wasn't the most grateful person in the world, but even him knew when to give due credit.

In the end, he didn't stay much longer in his bath. There was no point if he couldn't concentrate on his spells anyway.

The comfortable heat of the hairdryer made Malik dizzy. He yawned a few times and wondered if his drowsiness was due to his previous use of mana. It seemed like he already had to go back to bed, after all.

Since the bathroom door was very close to his own room, he didn't have to walk very far, which he was grateful for. Malik switched the light on and discovered with surprise that Bakura was sitting on the bed, smiling.

“Hi there ~ Surprised ?”

“... Where were you ? I couldn't feel your presence anywhere the whole day.” Not exactly true. But anyway.

“I had some … preparations to make, due to the events of last night. But let's not go there for now. Don't you want to hear my report ?”

Malik sighed and sat on the couch. “What do you have to tell me ?”

“_Well._ As you surely remember, we eliminated Pegasus Crawford and his Servant Archer last night. I'm not sure what her True Name exactly was, but I suppose it doesn't really matter anymore. After that, Ryou Bakura's Servant – Berserker – attacked us. However, instead of fighting me, he decided instead to … for a lack of better word,_ eat_ you.”

Malik winced. “And ?”

“_And_, with all the ingenuity and dexterity that only the best of men out there are capable of, I chased off Berserker and saved you. And that bald guy.”

“... I feel like you're not telling me everything.”

Assassin looked away, toying with a small knife by making it roll between his fingers.

“Oh, yeah. Berserker absorbed a lot of your energy, which somehow made him look like you. He also stole the Millennium Rod and severed the bond between us that provided me with mana. Eh.”

Malik almost fell from the couch.

“What did you say ?!”

“I'm dying.”

“About the Rod. I thought you had it with you.”

Bakura shrugged.

“You thought wrong.”

“I can't believe it … Did we seriously loose such a precious magical artefact … ?”

Assassin wanted to answer with a sarcastic _“I didn't. YOU did.”_ but chose to keep that for later, when he wouldn't be dying anymore. Instead, he got up from the bed to sit next to Malik on the couch.

“What's done is done. Anyway, about me _dying_.”

The tomb-keeper clearly wasn't convinced, but he felt too tired to protest.

“My Command Spells didn't move an inch. But I can't feel our connexion anymore, just like you said. I suppose you only survived until now thanks to your [Independent Action], correct ?”

“Yes. But it won't last much longer, which is why we must act quickly. If you still want to win the Holy Grail War, that is.”

“... And what do you suggest ?”

The Servant smirked.

“What a coincidence that you are asking this ! You see, I did some research about this today, which is why I went missing for a short while. The fastest way to get our bond back would be … by mana transfer.”

That made sense. Malik had heard some things about mana transfer. It wasn't something used frequently by magi, though. However, something bothered him about Assassin's smile at this moment.

“I see … That seems reasonable enough. Shall we get started ?”

“Hm.” Bakura's smile fell. “It's not a good idea right now. You look like you might pass out in the middle of it. I'm not gonna die tonight so I would suggest tomorrow morning instead.”

Malik raised an eyebrow.

“Sure …? Whatever.”

Bakura stood up.

“On that note, have a nice dream … while you still can.”

On these words, Assassin disappeared. Malik didn't like the underlying threat of death he just heard from his Servant, nor the suggestion he might fail to achieve his dream. It was true, however, that he had almost died not even 24 hours ago.

He bit his lip.

_Even without the Rod … I'll do everything to make my wish come true._

* * *

Malik was slowly pulled out of his slumber by a warm weight on his lower body.

_Wh... What ?_

He slowly opened his eyes and blinked a few times. When he finally adjusted to the few lights he kept on all night in his room, he was startled to see Bakura sitting on him, his legs on each side Malik's body.

“Rise and shine ~” he sang mockingly. “Ah, yes, you took too long to wake up and I grew impatient.”

“What are you ...” Malik frowned.

“Mana transfer, remember ? You _do_ know how that works, right ?”

Malik searched his memories, which wasn't an easy thing to do right after waking up.

“... Blood, I think ? And some weird rituals …”

“No, no, no. You're not in any state to give blood right now. And it wouldn't be enough anyway.” Maybe.

“Then what IS it ?!” he grumbled.

Bakura smiled sweetly.

“Sex magic.”

The tomb-keeper's mind went blank for a few seconds.

“... … … What ?”

“Mana transfer through sexual acts is a quick, easy, efficient – and pleasurable – way of giving magical energy to someone, _Master_. Or did the chief of such a HUGE organisation of magi NOT know that ?” he answered, letting his sleeves fall off his shoulders.

Malik sat down suddenly and placed his hands on Bakura's shoulders, regretting the gesture instantly when he realized how nice the touch felt.

“Wait, wait, wait, but what do you want to do exactly ?”

Assassin chuckled. “My, do you really want to hear it ?”

Malik felt way warmer. Was his Servant trying to embarrass him ?

“Actually, I don't.” he moved his legs a bit but stopped when he heard an unusual sound coming from Bakura.

“... In any case … If you don't feel like doing this … Please don't move so much. You're … rubbing against me.”

Ah.

Yes. He definitely felt hotter in more place than one.

It seemed like Bakura _would_ stop if Malik asked him to, but … his Servant needed mana, and the [Independent Action] wouldn't be enough for much longer. Also, without their bond, there was a chance he could be removed from the war. And if he couldn't 'legally' participate anymore, he wouldn't be able to make his wish to the Grail. Yes, mana transfer was necessary. Immediately. Of course.

“You know what ? Do whatever you planned. We need this to win the war, after all.” he surrendered, letting go of Assassin's shoulders.

“To 'win the war', eh ? If that's what you want to call it, fine.” he shook his head from side to side slowly, before stopping and looking straight into his Master's eyes. Malik's heart skipped a beat, but it was definitely unrelated. “You can leave everything to me.” He gently pushed Malik so he could lie down on the bed as he originally was. “Didn't you know ? My [Riding] skill is ranked D.”

Bakura smiled proudly at his own joke. Malik knew he should not have found it as cute as he did, but, for some reason, he could not help but answer with a smile of his own.

* * *

…

It felt like sinking. Like being dragged to the bottom of the ocean.

Malik couldn't open his eyes – but had even tried ?

He fell, deeper and deeper …

“_Mama …”_

He heard a voice. A faint murmur.

“_Mama …”_

A sob.

A decor slowly began to appear around Malik. It was dark. He seemed to be sitting inside an old house, but he couldn't see his surroundings very well behind his tears.

… _His _tears ? Why was he crying ?

The tomb-keeper attempted to wipe his eyes, but he realized with shock that he couldn't move. More exactly … he couldn't control his movements.

“Papa ?”

The unknown voice asked, a bit louder this time.

The voice … It was coming from Malik. However, he was absolutely sure this voice wasn't his. It sounded like a child … a boy.

His (?) body moved on its own from behind some boxes and slowly began walking to the door.

Every object seemed bigger than they should be, and Malik had no choice but to accept the reality of the situation : He was like a ghost following the child, without being able to interact with anything. He was nothing but a witness to the events unfolding before someone else's eyes.

The boy opened the door – just a bit, so he could glance at the street on the other side. Nobody was there. He opened the door further and took a few careful steps out.

The sky was black. Malik wasn't sure if it was from smoke or something else entirely. What he knew, however, was the familiar smell floating in the air.

Blood.

Through the eyes of the child, he managed to see more and more of them as they walked. Dead bodies. Unknown people, whose clothes reminded Malik of ancient Egyptian garments.

The child was trembling. He turned his head left and right.

“Mama … ? Papa … ?”

He started walking faster, desperately trying to hold back more sobs.

As they advanced through the small village, they went up a long stairway made of stone. From there, they began to hear other voices.

Following them, they entered some sort of underground temple. It reminded Malik of the tomb he had grown in, and it absolutely wasn't a thing he wanted to remember right now.

The boy slowed down his steps. He always kept his back against one of the walls to make sure he wouldn't get caught every time the path branched. If somebody were to walk by, which wasn't the case for now, the kid could hide easily enough that way.

As the voices grew louder and louder, Malik realized what was happening in this temple.

Black magic. A powerful spell – no, a _ritual_ – was being performed. The tomb-keeper felt the urge to walk back, but he still had no control over the body.

They finally arrived in the main chamber, and Malik didn't even want to glance at what was happening, because he could already imagine very well what was going on. The corpses they had seen, the dark sky, the smell … This was a sacrificial ritual.

Of course, there was no way the child would know about that. So, hidden behind the wall, he dared to look at the scene, and his eyes widened as the bloody corpse of a woman was thrown inside a giant cauldron. It was absorbed in a burning and thick liquid.

“... Ma … ma … ?”

Neither of them could tear their eyes away from the scene until it was over.

Corpse after corpse, the liquid seemed to grow livelier, until the men – who appeared to be soldiers – decided to pour it on a mysterious stone.

As disturbing as the previous scene had been, it was nothing compared to what he was seeing at this moment. The holes in the stone … their shape was that of the seven Millennium Items. What was he witnessing, exactly ? Just what was that ?!

The child let out a whimper and ran away. When he got out of the underground temple, he hid behind some stones and tried his best to calm down his frenetic breathing.

Suddenly, a soldier appeared from behind the rocs. He was expressionless, like a puppet being controlled. The kid had no weapon and, when the soldiers raised his spear to kill him, the boy couldn't do anything but scream.

“GET AWAY FROM ME !”

And _it_ happened just as fast as the spear made contact with the child's face. A beautiful and long winged white snake appeared out of fin air and beheaded the man with one swift bite.

As a line of blood rolled on his right cheek, the boy stayed dumbfounded on the ground. For the first time since this whole nightmare had begun, Malik saw his face, reflected by the snake's pristine scales. And he understood instantly what this all meant.

The child started shaking again and, this time, he failed to hold back the tears any longer.

The world faded to black once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, Malik was revealed to be a waterbender.
> 
> Because it's just not Fate-related if there is no obligatory mana transfer scene.


End file.
